More Americans are volunteering than at any point since the pandemic, but each person is giving fewer hours. If you want to start (or restart), the trick is matching a role to the time you really have. Here's the data and a practical path in.
Volunteering in America: the latest numbers
The best national data comes from the Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement to the Current Population Survey, a partnership between AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau. The most recent results, released in November 2024, surveyed about 47,000 people age 16 and older about the year from September 2022 to September 2023.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Formal volunteering rate (through an organization) | 28.3%, about 75.7 million people — up from 23.2% in 2021, and 1.7 points below pre-pandemic levels |
| Informal helping (neighbors: errands, house sitting, lending tools) | 54.2%, about 137.5 million people |
| Total formal hours | About 4.99 billion |
| Economic value of formal service | More than $167.2 billion |
| Average hours per volunteer | 70 in 2023, down from 96.5 in 2017 |
| Median hours per volunteer | 24 in 2023, down from 40 in 2017 |
| Volunteers who served fully or partly online | 18%, about 13.4 million people |
Two takeaways. First, volunteering bounced back strongly, and AmeriCorps described the jump as the largest expansion of formal volunteering ever recorded. Second, people are giving in smaller doses. That's not a failure; it's a design brief. Organizations that offer short, flexible shifts are meeting volunteers where they are.
A note for researchers: the Bureau of Labor Statistics used to publish an annual "Volunteering in the United States" release from the same survey supplement. Its archive ends with the 2015 edition, which put the rate at 24.9%. Newer figures come from AmeriCorps and Census. The supplement was reworked into the biennial Civic Engagement and Volunteering survey starting in 2017, so treat direct comparisons between old BLS rates and recent ones with some caution.
What is an hour of your time worth?
Each spring, Independent Sector and the Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland publish an estimated dollar value of a volunteer hour. The 2025 figure, announced in April 2026, is $36.14 per hour, up 3.9% from 2024. It's based on Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings for private non-farm production and non-supervisory workers, plus fringe benefits. Nonprofits use it in grant reports and annual reports to show the scale of donated time. It isn't a tax deduction: IRS Publication 526 says you can't deduct the value of your time or services, though some out-of-pocket volunteer expenses may qualify (see charitable tax deductions).
How to find a volunteer role that fits
- Start with your real calendar. Decide whether you can give one-off hours, a regular weekly slot or a short intensive project. Be honest; the 24-hour median is a fine place to start.
- Pick a cause, then a format. Hunger, kids, animals, the environment, elders, civic life. Then choose in-person, virtual or hybrid. Census data found virtual and hybrid volunteers averaged 95 hours a year versus 64 for in-person, so flexible formats can actually lead to more giving.
- Search a few platforms. National listing sites include VolunteerMatch, Idealist and JustServe. For professional skills (design, finance, strategy), Catchafire matches volunteers with nonprofits. For full-time national service with a living allowance, look at AmeriCorps programs.
- Go local. Call your local food bank, library, public school, hospital, animal shelter or senior center directly. Many have orientation dates on their websites. Food banks in particular rely on volunteers — see how to help food banks.
- Try one shift before you commit. A single Saturday tells you a lot about whether the culture and the work suit you.
- Track your hours. Schools, scholarships, employers and some court or certification programs ask for documented service hours. A simple log like Servicehours, a free volunteer hours log that works offline in your browser, keeps dates, organizations and supervisor contacts in one place.
Types of volunteering compared
| Type | Good for | Examples | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hands-on, one-off | Busy schedules, families, trying a cause | Food bank sorting, park cleanups, build days | Can be oversubscribed around holidays; book early |
| Regular weekly role | Building relationships, deeper impact | Tutoring, mentoring, hospital or library shifts | Background checks and training take time |
| Skills-based | Professionals with specific expertise | Bookkeeping, web design, grant writing, legal clinics | Scope creep; agree on a clear deliverable |
| Virtual | Rural areas, caregivers, people with mobility limits | Crisis text lines, translation, remote tutoring, data entry | Less social connection; schedule check-ins |
| Board or committee | Experienced volunteers with steady availability | Nonprofit boards, PTA, neighborhood associations | Fiduciary duties and fundraising expectations |
| Informal helping | Everyone | Errands for neighbors, rides, a meal train | Burnout if one person carries the load |
How to be a volunteer nonprofits love
- Show up when you said you would, and cancel early if you can't.
- Ask what the organization needs rather than pitching what you want to do.
- Respect privacy, especially with clients, kids and patients.
- Do the unglamorous tasks with good cheer; that's often where the need is.
- Give feedback through the volunteer coordinator, not the clients.
- Bring a friend next time — recruitment is a gift too.
- Ask whether your employer offers paid volunteer time or "dollars for doers" grants.
Quick take: Consistency beats intensity. Two hours a month for a year usually helps an organization more than a 20-hour burst you can't repeat.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of Americans volunteer?
About 28.3% of people age 16 and older volunteered through an organization between September 2022 and September 2023, according to AmeriCorps and the Census Bureau. Including informal help to neighbors, the share who helped in some way is much higher — 54.2% did informal helping.
How much is a volunteer hour worth?
Independent Sector's preliminary estimate for 2025 is $36.14 per hour. Values differ by state.
Can I deduct my volunteer time on my taxes?
No. IRS Publication 526 says you can't deduct the value of your time or services. Some unreimbursed out-of-pocket costs of volunteering for a qualified charity, such as driving at 14 cents a mile, may be deductible if you itemize; see our tax deduction basics and talk to a tax professional.
Can I volunteer online?
Yes. About 18% of formal volunteers, or roughly 13.4 million people, served fully or partly online in the latest Census data. Platforms like VolunteerMatch and Catchafire list remote roles.
How many hours should I volunteer?
There's no required amount. The median volunteer gave 24 hours over the year in 2023 — roughly two hours a month. Pick an amount you can sustain.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau — New U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps Research Tracks Virtual Volunteering for First Time (Nov 2024)
- AmeriCorps — More than 75.7 Million People Volunteered in America, AmeriCorps Reports (Nov. 2024; Internet Archive copy, as the original page has been removed)
- Independent Sector — Value of Volunteer Time
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Volunteering in the United States, 2015 (Feb 2016)
- IRS — Publication 526, Charitable Contributions
- VolunteerMatch
- Idealist
- JustServe
- Catchafire
- AmeriCorps